So... How will this work with music I ripped from CD's to the music library on my PC? Because I'd love it if not only the music you purchase from Xbox Music but also your existing library gets artist biographies and album covers and stuff.

Hard to believe there are 'technical' reasons why XBox Music wont work on Win7 or WP7. Even pandora is browser based.

I could accept the marketing fact that support won't be there for WinXP but Win7? Really? I really can't understand the mindset of the marketing boardrooms at MS that continues to come up with idea on how to push consumer to upgrade to Win8. SMH

MS is really hanging everything on the xbox name it seems. Zune was much better. I see how this could be a put off for business types. Not sure how many will want to have a customer try out their w8 tablet to play some videos or presentations and tell them, "Go to the xbox media app with the goofy avatar dancing around, yes thats supposed to be me, and pick the file called "million dollar proposition for expansion."

Hard to believe there are 'technical' reasons why XBox Music wont work on Win7 or WP7. Even pandora is browser based.

I could accept the marketing fact that support won't be there for WinXP but Win7? Really? I really can't understand the mindset of the marketing boardrooms at MS that continues to come up with idea on how to push consumer to upgrade to Win8. SMH

It said (somewhere) that a browser based client is in the works (as well as iOS and Android clients). It won't work on Win7 because it is a Metro app. I guess they could have updated Zune with free streaming, but I guess they are done with support of Zune.

IMO, Xbox Music isn't offering enough beyond the existing Zune Pass (which will continue to work on W7 and WP7) for this to be too big of a deal.

Originally Posted by power5

Not sure how many will want to have a customer try out their w8 tablet to play some videos or presentations and tell them, "Go to the xbox media app with the goofy avatar dancing around, yes thats supposed to be me, and pick the file called "million dollar proposition for expansion."

I don't think the avatar shows up in Xbox Music or Video apps. It does show up in the games area though

It said (somewhere) that a browser based client is in the works (as well as iOS and Android clients). It won't work on Win7 because it is a Metro app. I guess they could have updated Zune with free streaming, but I guess they are done with support of Zune.

The popularity of services such as pandora, spotify and even <cough> itunes is because it reaches a wide audience and someonewhat platform independent (except itunes)

What better way to get people involved in XMusic than getting as many ears on your product. If Win7 has 600 million sales so far, your basically excluding a lot of users.

If MS wants xmusic to be thee music service then having the marketing/salesmen restrict the service to only Win8/WP8 is not the way to go. I know they say they a browser,iOS and android version is coming soon but I expect MS to take a their usual time to bring things to market.

APPLE
With apple reportedly coming out with a streaming services. MS need to get there first and fast. They have lost on a few media market opportunities by taking their time. With the reach of iTunes and its customers it might say that if apples launches within 6months with browser based streaming services as well as iOS app...then its game over for xmusic. For better or worse iTunes is the reigning king of music/media and MS should try to knock them out quickly.

Remember back in 2009, APPLE purchased the Lala streaming services...and just like with their map company purchases years ago, they intend to do something with this.

No one is knocking itunes out quick. Completely impossible unless something like napster were to happen, but since itunes is legal, I dont think its going anywhere. That would be like saying the movie industry needs to be knocked out.

No one is knocking itunes out quick. Completely impossible unless something like napster were to happen, but since itunes is legal, I dont think its going anywhere. That would be like saying the movie industry needs to be knocked out.

I don't see anything knocking out iTunes. It's been around for so long that people won't just up and leave it for something brand new.

My biggest question is regarding the future match and storage features for Xbox Music. Is this a sign that there won't be rich Skydrive integration with Xbox music, favoring instead this other service that might not be free?